Georgia Supreme Court Disbars 1
The high court rules on a matter before the Court on the Report and Recommendations of special master Joseph A. Boone.
October 02, 2017 at 11:33 AM
5 minute read
In the Supreme Court of Georgia
Decided: October 2, 2017
S17Y1842. IN THE MATTER OF JAMES EDWARD WATKINS, SR.
PER CURIAM.
This matter is before theCourt on the Report and Recommendations of the special master, Joseph A. Boone, recommending that James Edward Watkins, Sr. (State Bar No. 740430), a member of the State Bar of Georgia since 1996, be disbarred for multiple derelictions related to his deficient representation and abandonment of two unrelated clients. Watkins was served with the formal complaints in these matters, but failed to file answers as required by Bar Rule 212 (a). The special master therefore found Watkins in default and found the following facts admitted by default. See id.
The first client retained Watkins in March 2015 to represent her in connection with a contempt action against her homeowners association (“HOA”). The client paid Watkins $500 to represent her. Over several months, the client unsuccessfully tried to contact Watkins for an update on her case. In July 2015, the client went to Watkins's office to inquire about her case and, dissatisfied with his lack of work on the case, asked for a refund. Watkins replied to the client's request by sending her a letter demanding she never come to his office again. Subsequently, Watkins sent the client a bill for services, a copy of a June 20, 2015 letter from him to the HOA, and a copy of an undated contempt motion; the client was not copied on the June 20 letter allegedly sent to the HOA. Watkins told the client that he filed the motion for contempt and performed other work on the case that he did not do. Watkins never filed the contempt motion, failed to communicate with the client, and failed to take any action on the client's behalf.
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